Lowrance Advice

[bluesky1713]

I'm going to be purchasing a new Lowrance GPS/Sonar combo, and have been contemplating either the HDS-5 or Elite 5. I think I'm going to go with the HDS-5 because it seems to be worth the extra coin. Do you agree?

 

Also, I would be looking for a mapping chip for it. I fish Georgian Bay quite a bit, as well as other lakes in the Parry Sound and North Bay areas. Any suggestions on the best chip for this area? If I could find a chip that has a wide variety of lakes on it throughout Ontario, that would be great.

 

Finally, I would be looking to use it for ice fishing as well. So, does the HDS-5 or Elite 5 have winter transducers, or would I have to rig up an ice set-up for it using the summer transducer?

 

Thanks!

[craigdritchie]

Lowrance announced a number of rebates recently, which run through the winter. There are deals on both units you're considering.

 

Lowrance Announces Weekend Getaway Sales Event

[bluesky1713]

Thanks, Craig. That's what convinced me to buy.

[bigmac1984]

HDS 5 is great, I have a HDS 5 and HDS7 networked together and they are great units. The HDS5 you can buy an ice fishing attachment to it to make it portable.

 

Worth the money, and the rebates right now are incredible.

[Rizzo]

NUTS!!!I just bought a unit about a month ago. Got a great price, but a 100 rebate would have made it even nicer!

[bassfanatic25]

I have 2 HDS5 units linked together via ethernat cable. They are great units. Trouble free and fairly easy to use once you get use to them. For mapping, the Navionics Gold or Platinum card are ideal for the Great Lakes and Trent System. For inland lakes(Kawarthas, Muskokas, Nipissing, Temagami, etc) the Navionics Hotmaps Canada is the card to get. Some of the Kawartha Lakes are in HD which means a lot more contour lines and other useful detail. With the rebate offer going on now, you can't go wrong with the HDS series. There are ice fishing packs that Lowrance makes specifically for the HDS series. Good Luck.

[bluesky1713]

What nav chip are you using, Rizzo?

[bluesky1713]

Thanks, Patrick! Great information.

 

Would the Navionics Hotmaps Canada chip have Georgian Bay as well, or just inland lakes?

[Steve Piggott]

I have the elite 5 DSI chatplotter for sale $450.00

 

http://www.lowrance.com/Products/Marine/Mark-Elite-Series/Elite-5-DSI/

[ecmilley]

i got an hds unit and ended up getting the navionics platinum chip which is good on the great lakes and kawartha's but found it didn't do very many of the inland kawartha's and haliburton/bancroft district lakes so I also picked up a hot maps chip, best of both worlds

[Dan668]

Hds unit hands down. I have a 7, bought it before the rebate. Ill be buying an 8 sometime before feb. Rebate makes it really attractive

[bluesky1713]

Thanks, Steve. But I think I'm going to go with an HDS unit. And I have Cabelas gift cards.

[Rizzo]

bluesky the elite 5 comes with a chip, so that is the one I'm using. Doesn't have 1 foot contours but I'm happy with the unit. Having said that, I'm not a techie guy at all, so pretty much any unit likely would have made me happy (except the humminbird one that says you're going 2.3 mph while in the garage!). For me and my low expectations it was all about cost, I wanted to keep cost around $500 and I was able to do that. The HDS was a bit more money, plus you had to buy the chip still (150.00??) so I never really considered it.

[Rich Clemens]

I have the HDS-7 unit and wish I had purchased the HDS-8 for the larger screen. Take this into consideration, how big of a screen you want/need (and can afford of course), when you make your purchase. I now regret not getting the larger one up front. I also have the Navionics Hot Maps for Candada. Unfortunately, the lakes and rivers I fish ... are not yet HD. My current card is several years old and, unless the newer versions give me soemthing I don't already have, I'll keep using what I got.

[bluesky1713]

Rizzo, is that the US Basemap that you're referring to as having come with your unit?

[bassfanatic25]

The Hotmaps Canada card does not have Georgian Bay. Just the inland lakes. The US Base Map that is built into the HDS units really does not show too much. Some lakes in Ontario are roughly outlined but that's about the best detail you get. The Navionics card is definitely a necessity in the HDS units for our area.

[bluesky1713]

What are the Lake Insight and Nautic Insight maps like compared to the base maps.

[bluesky1713]

Ok, I've looked into the Insight maps and, obviously, those are the HD maps. But since I fish Ontario lakes, will the insight mapping chips even be useful (i.e. have HD lake maps on the lakes I fish)?

[scugpg]

Do you ever plan to add a 2nd unit and network together? If so the HDS would be your only option.

 

I haven't used the Elite but the HDS screen is better resolution and when you're talking a 5'' screen it might be worth the upgrade.

 

I think the HDS has built in (although not super detail) of the great lakes.

 

For inland lakes the Hotmaps Canada series would be the best bet for an HDS chip.

 

You can rig up the hst-wsbl transducer included with the HDS or Insight......or you can buy the actual ice-ducer which will work on either unit.

 

I would pick the HDS over the Insight, but if you don't intend to do networking and don't mind the display the Elite is a nice unit and the price is right.

[zeeter]

I have the Elite 5 (great deal) and am happy with it, but if you have the coin to get the HD do it. The higher res. and bigger screen size would be nice.